“Man-Dig those crazy Los Angeles Freeways” The Changing Image of Southern California Freeways in The Werner von Boltenstern Postcard Collection

Abstract

Los Angeles Times journalist Patt Morrison writes in her forward to the 2021 book Freewaytopia, “It’s Los Angeles, not Rome. Here, all roads lead to … more roads. Our lore and stories speak of the beach, of Hollywood, and of that other constant on our landscape - freeways.” The lore of Southern California freeways is present in everything from movie sets like Speed and La La Land, noir fiction, memes about the 405, lyrics in Lana Del Rey’s music, to the series of Saturday Night Live skits, “The Californians,” which mock the way Angelenos talk about freeways, drama, and traffic. The “City of Angels” is synonymous with sprawling highways and the accompanying record levels of pollution and environmental harm from the accompanying automobile traffic. The lore of freeways is a constant part of how Angelenos market the city and understand their relationship with the urban environment.